System for supplying and metering liquid fuel to motors



Jan. 6, 1942. a. G. M. MUSELIER 2,268,957

SYSTEM FOR SUPPLYING AND METERING LIQUID FUEL TO MOTORS Filed Aug. 28, 1939 "2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. I

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- //VI/E JVTO/E. M. MU5,E/L,/EE

Jan. 6, 1942. v a. M. MUSELIER 2,258,957

SYSTEM FdR surname AND METERING mourn FUEL Tb MOTORS Filed Aug. 28, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 //VI/E./1/TOIQ,

, 5.6.01. MUSEL/EE Patented Jan. 6, 1942 h UNITED STATES PATENT "OFFICE SYSTEM Fon- SUPPLYING AND METERING LIQUID rpm. 'ro Morons Bernard Gabriel Marie Muselier, Paris, France,

assignor to Jean Faure Herman, Boulogne-sur- Seine, France a claim (01. 73-195) This invention relates to systems for supplying and measuring the delivery of fuel to motors or engines of the type particularly used on aircraft.

Aircraft. powered by more than one motor or engine frequently have separate fuel tanks or reservoirs supplying each motor. One of these motors may exhaust its available fuel supply from one of the tanks before the other and it therefore becomesdesirable to transfer someof the fuel from the remaining partially filled tank to the other. At the same time it is necessary to meter or measure the fuel consumed by each engine not only while the original fuel supply of each tank is available, but after thetransfer of fuel is effected from one tank to the other.

" In that connection, the invention not only contemplates a novel arrangement whereby the transfer of fuel to one tank to the other may be readily accomplished, but, at the same time, when the transfer is made to the tank whose supply is depleted, the meter associated with that,

prises a fork 22 with two prongs carried by the shaft 23 of the gear-work. Both prongs engageeach two openings 24 provided in a' plate 26 which forms the first rotatable member. This plate 25 can freely rotate in the middle part of a toothed crown 26 which forms the second rotatable member. This gear 26 is driven by the gear 21 of the measuring system.

A coupling member in the form of a pin 26 is slidably mounted inwardly of the plate 26. This pin 28 is constantly urged by a spring 26 in the direction h (Figure 4) and rests constantly on the inner part of the gear 26 which comprises normal function.

for distributing fuel to two motors is shown, by

way of example, in the accompanying drawings,

wherein:

Figure 1 is an axial sectional view of the meter assembly. 5

Figure 2 is a partial axial sectional view showing more particularly the unidirectional driving device inserted between the measuring device and the indicating device.

Figure 3 is a partial view through the line 3-4 of Figure 2.

. Figures 4 and 5 are plan views showing a portion of the transmission between the measuring system and the gear-work.

Figure 6 shows a power plant preceding meters.

The meter (Figure 1) adapted for being mounted. preferably on the pipe which supplies an aircraft engine with fuel comprises: a measuring system which has been shown in the form of vanes l-2 movable under the action of the flow of fuel and of gears 32 a.gear-work driven by the measuring system and driving in- ;comprising the dicator means indicating the delivery, such as the gear-work is effected by means'pf a unidirectional driving device inserted between the measuring system I2 and the gear-work 4-6.

The driving device (Figures 2, 3,4 and 5) comfuel through a pump assembly (first pump P I If, owing to a fault in the assembly, for instance, the fuel drives the measuring system and the gear 26 in the direction, Is, the pin 28 slides on the sloping surface 26 of the gear 26, which continues its movement of rotation without driving the-plate 25 which is rigidly connected with the shaft 23 of the gear-work.

Briefly stated, it is possible through the above described arrangements and without any danger of breaking the mechanism norof giving false indications, to drive the mechanism in a single direction.

, More particularly, the device according to the invention can be used in any supply plant comprising a meter such as l-2.-J

Inthe case of a meter comprising a rigid drivingdevice which has been mounted on the wrong 0n the contrary, a meter even when mounted on the wrong side but provided with a unidirectional driving device according/to the invention will insure the'supply of th ngine with fuel without being damaged,-so that it will-"operate.

when put into the correct position.

The preceding meters can be mounted in power plantand more particularly in' the power plant which is shown in' "Figure 7. .This plant includes a first engine MI and a second engine M2; each engine Ml and'M2 is'supplied with and second pump P2) drawing in fuel from 'a first tank RI and'from a second tank R2 respectively through: a pipe Tl,' 12 and, ieadim it to the engine through a pipe or conduit UI, U2. On each pipe TI, T2 is mounted a meter CI, C2 according to the invention; the pipes TI, T2 are connected together through the transfer pipe lines WI, W2 on which a cut-off valve VI, a hand pump P3 and a cut-off valve V4 are inserted.

The transfer pipe line WI connects the pipe line TI with the intake side of the manually controlled or hand-operated pump P3,'and includes the cut-off valve VI. The transfer line W2 connects the pipe line T2 with the outlet side of the pump P3 and includes the valve V4. A first bypass line W3 establishes communication between the outlet side of the pump P3 and the transfer line WI at a point between the cut-off valve VI' and the pipe line TI, said by-pass line W3 including the cut-off valve V2. A second by-pass line W4 connects with the intake side of the pump P3 through a portion of the line WI and also connects with the transfer pipe W2 at a point between the cut-off valve V4 and the pipe line T2, and includes the cut-off valve V3.

In the normal operation each engine is supplied with fuel through its own pump and the valves VI, V2, V3 and V4 are closed.

If, for any reason, and more particularly when one of the tanks is completely empty, as for instance R2, theoperator wishes tocause a certain quantity of fuel from the tank RI to flow into the tank R2 without stopping the engines, he will open'the valves VI and V4, the valves V2 and V3 remaining closed, and by means of the hand pump P3 he will cause the fuel to pass into the by-pass in the direction is.

In this instance the fuel flows through the meter C2 in the reverse direction with respect to the normal rotation and the unidirectional driving device, according to the direction of the fiow of liquid which drives the gear-work, will prevent the apparatus fr'om being damaged, giving false indications of the fuel used and will be ready for use again in its normal operation by the operator after the pump P3 has been stopped and after the valves VI and V4 have been closed.

Owing to the arrangements according to the present invention, during the manipulations effected by the operator, the engines are further supplied with fuel and permit of the aircraft effecting further its manoeuvres.

I claim:

1. Means for distributing and measuring liquid fuel to a plurality of engines, comprising, in combination, a fuel tank, a pipe line connecting one of said engines and tank and having therein a motor operated pump and a meter having a unidirectional driving device, a second tank, a second pipe line connecting a second of said engines and tank and also having therein a moline, a by-pass including a cut-off valve connecting the outlet side of the manually controlled pump with the first transfer pipe line between the cut-off valve therein and said first pipe line, and another by-pass including a cut-off valve connecting the intake side of said manually operated pump and the second transferline at a point between the said cut-off valve therein and the second mentioned pipe line.

2. A system for supplying, distributing, and metering liquid fuel to a plurality of engines, comprising, in combination, liquid fuel tanks, a supply line connecting each tank with a related engine, a motor operated pump and a meter having a uni-directional driving device in each supply line, and means for transferring liquid fuel from one tank to another through said supply lines, said means comprising a pair of transfer pipe lines each connected at one end with one of said supply lines, a manually operated pump having its intake side connected to one end of one of said transfer lines and having its outlet side connected with the other of said transfer lines, a pair of by-pass pipe lines connecting the transfer lines at opposite sides of the manually operated pump, and a plurality of valves in the transfer and by-pass lines, all of said valves when closed permitting each motor to be supplied with fuel from its related tank, said valves I fer of fuel from one tank to the other, the inlet and the outlet of the manually operated pump serving in the same capacity for either direction of flow.

3. In a supply plant for supplying fuel to two engines, a first fuel tank, a first pump drawing in the fuel from the tank, the first engine being tor operated pump and a meter provided with a uni-directional driving device, and transfer conduit means connecting said first and second pipe lines for conveying liquid fuel from one tank to the other when the supply in the tank serving one motor has been depleted, said means comprising a pair of transfer pipe sections having their outer ends respectively connected with said first and second pipe lines, a manually operated pump having its intake connected to one of said transfer pipes and its outlet connected to the other of said pipes, cut-off valves in each transfer line and respectively located between the intake for the manually controlled pump and said first mentioned pipe line and between the outlet side of said pump and the second mentioned pipe supplied with fuel by the first pump, a conduit connecting the tank with the first pump, a conduit connecting the first pump with the first engine, a first meter for measuring the delivery having a unidirectional driving device inserted on the conduit connecting the first tank with the pump, a second fuel tank, a second pump drawing in fuel from the second tank, the second engine being supplied with fuel from the second pump, a conduit connecting the second tank with the second pump, a conduit connecting the second pump with the second engine, a second meterfor measuring the delivery having a unidirectional driving device inserted on the conduit connecting the second tank with the second pump, a. by-pass uniting together the conduits which connect each tank respectively with the corresponding pump between the meters and the pumps, a hand pump mounted on the said bypass, a first cut-01f valve inserted on the said by-pass in advance of the hand-pump, a second cut-01f valve inserted on the said by-pass behind the hand pump, a second by-pass connecting the outlet of the hand pump with said bypass between the valve and the first mentioned conduit, a cut-ofl valve mounted on the said second by-pass, a third by-pass connecting the intake side of the hand pump with the firstmentioned by-pass between the second'cut-off valve and the third mentioned conduit and including a valve.

BERNARD GABRIEL MARIE MUSELIER. 

